Myrtle Fincher Banks, 91, of Covington, passed away Jan. 21. Myrtle Odessa Burney was the sixth of seven children of the late Henry and Lula Mae Burney. She grew up on a farm and attended the old Starsville School through the 9th grade. She married Herbert Fincher in 1944, and together they built their home in the Stewart Community of Newton County. Together they raised their two boys, Danny and Dennis, along with raising cotton, corn, cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbit dogs. She worked hard every day at the Porterdale Mill and The Covington Shirt Plant and retired as a customer service clerk in retail. She was a faithful member of Stewart Baptist Church where she fulfilled her dream of being a teacher when she taught the youth Sunday School for many years.
Her husband, Herbert, died in 1989, and soon after she moved closer to Covington and moved her church membership to Solid Rock Baptist Church. At Solid Rock, she sang in the choir and helped with the food ministry and many other church activities. She loved to sing and play the guitar as she witnessed to the residents at the Covington Senior Center, Covington Manor, Riverside Health Care Center, the Mews, and many other churches and music halls in the community. In 2003, an old love from her teenage years, Raymond Banks, became part of the family when he and she married. She loved to travel and visited Canada, Mexico, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, the coast of North Carolina, and many other beautiful places; but her favorite place was home. She and Raymond enjoyed their little garden and watching the birds and had open doors for visits from the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. Mrs. Banks enjoyed cooking and baking, and if you were lucky she may have served you fried chicken, homemade biscuits, chocolate pie, or her famous peanut butter cake. She had over 90 years of wisdom, and she will be missed by all of her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her siblings, May Tuggle Grant, Ray Tuggle, Valerie Tuggle Akins, Charlie Tuggle, Ebb Tuggle, Roy Burney, and Lois Burney Edwards.
Survivors include her husband Raymond Banks; sons and daughters-in-law Danny and Denise Fincher of Newport, N.C., Dennis and Brenda Fincher of Newborn; grandchildren Bobby and Kim Fincher, Shannon and Sven Pollard, Luke and Jessi Fincher, all of Covington, Jason and Krystal Merideth, Alison and Kyle Donham of North Carolina; great-grandchildren Kacie, McKenzie, and Colton Fincher, Nolan and Ean Pollard, Avery and Payton Merideth, Evelyn and Courtland Donham; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Banks were held Jan. 24 at the chapel of Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home, 3134 Floyd Street, with the Rev. Mike Franklin officiating, and interment followed in Stewart Baptist Cemetery. Flowers are accepted, or donations may be made to Solid Rock Baptist Church, 8111 Brown Bridge Road, Covington, GA 30014.
